Family Business
by Rising Gold Sun
Summary: A normal day in the lives of Lincoln, his loving wife and their daughter...of course, if you considers living with the dead "normal". A request for Blubber Boy.


**Hello there! Rising here! or you can just call me Cheshire, posting my first Loud House story in Fanfiction, this time featuring the Lucycoln family. If you don't know Who Lupa is, you just need to google "Lupa Loud" and that will give you tons of image to have a better grasp of her. **

**I want to give my utmost thanks to Proofreaderanon for beta-reading this, without him, this wouldn't be possible. Jack, you are amazing.**

**Without more delays, enjoy!**

Disclaimer: I don't own the Loud House or any of the characters, this was made by a fan, for the fans.

**Family Business**

Lincoln slowly opened his eyes, the annoying noise of his alarm clock was penetrating and tireless. The white-haired man swatted it, silencing the device and turning around to continue sleeping. It was useless, the happy device rang again or at least he thought it did, because when he took it in his hands, he realized that it was still off. Then why?

Right.

His wife had an alarm clock on her side just to avoid this kind of thing. And speaking of his wife, where was she? He was alone in the bed…

"Lincoln" said a soft voice behind him, making him jump almost to the just from the voice itself but also from the appearance of its owner.

An extremely tall woman, pale skin snow and black hair like black attire and the fact that she was next to the bed made her seem like a premonition of death itself. This simply awakened his survival instincts, the darkness of the room didn't do him any favors.

"No matter how many years go by, will you ever stop doing that?,Lucy? "Lincoln said, trying to keep his heart from getting out of his chest.

-"Oh, dear, you know that it wasn't my fault as a child, it's just nobody noticed me" Lucy replied, still motionless.

"What, does that mean you do it on purpose now?" Lincoln asked, somewhat skeptically.

The tiny smile on his wife's lips comfirmed his suspicions.

"Breakfast will be ready soon, take a shower, however, don't delay, you never know when the bony lady may require our services" said Lucy, leaving the room and Lincoln with a slight chill running down his back. He loved Lucy, with all his heart(which their parents wouldn't be proud of...) but damn if she wasn't weirder than when they were Gothic lady had never lost her artistic vein, having a huge talent for it. Lincoln was sure she would have gone far, but no, Lucy had left the pen but not her fascination with death, which was why she now owned her own funeral parlor

Her former club would be proud, damn, Haiku herself said she was proud. He was proud and happy for her too, of course. He had supported her every step of the way, after all.

The fain orange light entering through the window brought him back to reality, this, added to the darkness prevailing in the place gave it a gloomy but very beautiful appearance, Lincoln got up, putt his bones back in place, took his clothes to take a shower, and took a last look at his watch, before leaving the room.

After leaving the shower, ready to face the day, he couldn't help feeling a slight irritation. The whole place was dark. Haiku had, again, kept everything dark and Lucy had done nothing to change it, either because she forgot it or because she appreciated the company of darkness more, as she once said. While he was turning on the lights, he couldn't avoid a certain misgiving in approaching some areas, but he immediately slapped himself for it.

10 years.

He was in this business for 10 years with his sister and he still couldn't shake that childish fear towards death. He gathered some courage and entered the embalming room, checking that everything was fine, then proceed the room reserved for the coffins, the furnaces, the garages for hearses, the chapel, and finally checked the grieving rooms.

No problems.

Satisfied, he went to the private dining room of his family, where his wife was waiting for him with the breakfast already prepared, after giving her a small kiss on the lips, he sat down to enjoy a small moment with part of his family before he had to start the daily journey.

"And Haiku?" Lincoln asked, while checking his cell phone for messages, only some of Lily showing him the exotic places she was visiting.

"She went to sleep, and told me that there were no calls during the night" Lucy replied, checking the agenda for the day, "it's a shame" she added.

"Seriously? No family lost one of their own, that's a good thing in my book" said Lincoln, something ironic considering their profession.

Lucy just looked at him, or so he thought, her eyes were covered as usual. Now even more that she had decided to let her hair grow down to her waist "Linc, I've already told you many times that you shouldn't see death as something bad. It's just one more road, that we all travel, sooner or later. We just make sure that those who pass through our hands do it in the most dignified way possible" said Lucy "besides, don't forget that we make living from this" she added.

"You...I'm sorry" said Lincoln "You're right Lucy, I just can't get used to it, even after ten years"

"Sigh, you're the beacon of light that I can never sink into the dark, but I would lie if I said I don't love you for that," she replied, sipping some coffee, maybe to hide her blush.

"Well, did you wake up feeling romantic today, my maiden of the shadows?" he asked, smiling, following his little sister's game.

"I have always been like that, thank you very much" said Lucy.

"Yes, but only with me" Lincoln answered.

"you...You dummy…" the woman with pale skin muttered.

"You know I love to tease you a bit, lil sis, don't get mad" Lincoln replied with a smile "Would you like to watch a movie later? jJustthe two of us, you choose"

"If we don't have work, yes"

"Ah, true 'The inevitability of death can fall on anyone at any time' right?" Paraphrased the albino.

"I have the slightest feeling that you're making fun of me "Lucy said. But, contrary to what would be expected, apparently she was taking it in a good mood.

"Me? Naaah! You're the one that always liked theatricality"

"I haven't heard you complain about my theatricality before, Mr. "Vampire Hunter" " Lucy said, putting some sweetness in the last part, effectively shutting down Lincoln and leaving him red like a tomato

Yes, on some occasions Lucy liked to get a little wild and experiment when they were alone. On more than one occasion they ended up in a role play where she was the helpless vampire at the mercy of the fierce vampire hunter who minutes before had annihilated Edwin and now was ready to take his prize...

The albino shook his head, it was too early to think about those things, his wife's pretty smile wasn't doing him any favors.

"Okay, I admit it" said Lincoln "Always so horny,my little sister.-"

"Thanks, I try" Lucy replied, returning to her monotone voice "By the way, don't you think we should wake up Lupa?"

"It's Saturday and I wanted to let her sleep more...but I think you're right, I have a feeling that something is gonna happen" answered the man, getting up "I'll wake her up"

"I'll prepare her cereal" Lucy said, also getting up. Maybe they would already have some food in their stomachs, but their breakfast wouldn't be complete until the three of them were at the same table.

Lincoln quietly opened the door to his daughter's room. she was sleeping peacefully. But, he had to admit that his daughter's way of sleeping, completely straight, face up and arms at her sides, made him a little uncomfortable. At least his daughter's kitten, the faithful Thanatos (named by Lupa), sleeping on her belly gave her a much more adorable appearance.

He could have stayed there, watching his firstborn indefinitely, but Lucy was waiting for them, so he began to talk to her gently.

"Lupa, hey, wake up my little bee, it's time to wake up" Lincoln whispered as he lightly shook his little girl's shoulders.

Normally a person would wake up slowly, stretching and yawning. But Lupa? She simply opened her eyes suddenly and then looked directly at her father.

"Good morning dad" Lupa said with a tone that reminded him of her mother.

"Good morning Honey" Lincoln replied, already used to the solemnity in the tone of his daughter.

"Is it time to go to school?" asked the little albino.

"No, it's Saturday, sorry for waking you up early, but you know, today we have to be here all day and 'something' could happen"answered her father.

"Is anyone going to die today?" asked Lupa with all the simplicity in the world.

"... I hope not, but it could happen" said the man of the house, wondering if one day he would get used to Lupa's comments, he could hear them from his wife without problems, but hearing them come from the lips of an eight-year-old girl unnerved him a bit.

"Very well" answered the girl "Thanatos,get up!" she ordered. Then the cat also opened her eyes completely, getting off of her and then sitting down. Then it started looking at Lincoln, without blinking, Lupa did the same. She sat on the bed, legs hanging and looking at herfather insistently, without moving or saying anything, but obviously waiting for him to say something.

Lincoln gulped, he didn't fear his daughter, in the slightest, he loved her madly, but he would be lying if he said that she and her pet didn't make him nervous at times like this. But taking a mental blow to himself, the man advanced, took Thanatos to put her in the hands of his daughter and then raised the girl in his arms.

Lupa was perfectly capable of walking by herself but the feeling of carrying her against his chest like the treasure that she was for him was indescribable. When he was heading to the dining room Lupa spoke to him.

"Dad?"

"Yes? honeybee?" Lincoln asked, ready to embarrass her with sweet comments if she dared to ask him to let her go.

"I have to go to the bathroom"

"…Right…"

…

Once everyone was at the table, they treated themselves to breakfast. Lupa slowly ate her zombie cereal while giving Thanatos a spoonful when her parents weren't looking. Meanwhile, her parents talked about work, family, and various things, none of that caught her attention for a while until she heard something that made her raise an ear.

"Less and less people bury their dead nowadays, Luz," said Lincoln. "They try to ask for more and more strange things, what will happen when they start asking us for those things?" It's not like we could afford to change everything for each… 'customer'" He continued.

"I know, dear, I have meditated deeply about it and even talked to the spirits to ask for help, but they have remained silent" Lucy said, making Lincoln nervous.

"L-let's not talk about that, okay?"

"Sigh"

Seeing that her parents were silent for a few moments, Lupa took the opportunity to speak.

"Aunt Maggie hasn't come yet?"

"She should be here soon, sweety" Lincoln said. "Changing the subject, your birthday is close, you know what you're going to want?"

Lupa just looked at the ceiling with a dull expression. After a few moments "No, nothing"

"Are you sure? We can get some nice things every now and then and what better time than your birthday for that?" Lincoln pressed a little, trying to get her out of her shell, at least a bit.

"Maybe I can think of something later" said Lupa, taking the matter for granted.

"Very well" Lincoln said, sighing in a way that would make his wife proud. "At least tell me where you would like us to have the party" Lincoln suggested hopefully.

"Can't we do it here?" Lupa asked.

"I-I don't think that's the best idea, cottounmouth" Lincoln said. He already had the mental image of his daughter's friends, so similar to her, suddenly appearing and bothering any grieving family members, asking grim questions, or doing what Lupa did years ago to get inside one of the cellars coffins in the cellar...

"Then Gus's pizzas would be fine" said Lupa.

... Luckily, his daughter and her friends were also more normal than they looked, more than their parents at their age and who would want to spend their birthday at a funeral home when they could have pizza?

"Count on it" Lincoln said.

"I hope you don't forget to make her wear her best clothes" Lucy said, making Lincoln mentally groan. It reminded him that Lucy was not the most sociable person and tended to act bizarre sometimes, like that time when she took Lupa to school...using one of the hearses.

From what he had heard, the uproar was epic, including parents and teachers alarmed everywhere, added to a few kids fainting, yes, that was a first impression of his little girl at school. But, thanks to that, she had gotten the Aattention of some girls who were now his daughter's best friends, because Lady Luck had smiled on them that day. And the "best clothes" that his wife talked about were clothes that could well pass for a mortuary outfit.

-"I won't forget it, dear, I won't forget it" Lincoln said, taking note of that.

Having finished breakfast, the parents got up to wash the dishes while the girl checked her cell phone. There were some messages from her aunt Lynn, for some reason she only sent them to her.

Just when they finished, they heard the doorbell ring, surely Maggie and the other employees. With the dishes done, the aforementioned entered with the others, giving a dry hug to both Louds, without expression.

The others simply greeted them politely when they were entering, the majority former members of the school club to which Lucy belonged as a child. Normally people only go through a phase which they leave behind growing up, but the Morticians' club did honor to its name even in adulthood.

The albino respected that, even more since he had lost his childhood friends with the passing of the years. Of course, having married his little sister maybe had something to do with it, at least his wife's friends didn't have those moral shackles.

All were ready, with each one in his their position. Waiting for the first "client" was a sad thing, but Lincoln was aware that every day someone died, but if his family depended on that, so be it.

While Lucy was wandering around the interior of the funeral parlour, performing an even more thorough inspection than Lincoln did, her husband was currently reviewing some papers at the reception. Their daughter was sitting at the desk, elbows on her knees, chin resting on her hands, Thanatos on her head, and her legs swaying slowly; looking at nothing in particular.

Then the phone rang, calling the attention of father and daughter, and Lincoln's relaxed attitude changed, now becoming totally serious and professional, he cleared his throat a little before taking the phone and spoke

"Charon's Boat, how can we assist you?" Lincoln asked in a solemn tone "I see, we will be there immediately, don't worry. And I'm deeply sorry for your loss" Lincoln finished as he wrote down the family's data. He didn't lose his professional attitude but immediately got up and notified Lucy and the others that they would have work, then he called the coroner and lawyers, while Lucy prepared the embalming room. When everything was organized, he returned to the reception to stand at the wall while he thought about how much of the day this was going to take. He had about ten minutes before Maggie and he went out to get the body so he used them to rest.

He couldn't help but reflect on how natural all this had become for him. The first few times he almost broke down just listening to the families, but now it was just one more call for him.

He still had empathy, of course, but it was what any human being would have when they heard something sad on TV. He felt light and calm, despite having to face so much pain soon...sometimes he wondered if he should fully adopt Lucy's lifestyle...

"Dad" called Lupa, startling him a little.

"What's up, Lu?"

"Why does mom call our house 'Charon's Boat?'"

Lincoln couldn't help laugh a little "Lupa, remember, the funeral parlour is not our home"

"But we live here, right?"

"Eh, yes"

"And we eat and sleep here right?"

"... not exactly 'here', but yes.-"

"Then it's our house"

"Look let's talk about why I nam...what? We never told you?" Lincoln asked, amazed. Lupa just shook her head.

"No, and I never asked before"

The man smiled proudly at this "Actually, it wasn't mom who named the funeral home, it was me" said Lincoln, puffing out his chest and pointing at himself with his thumb.

"Really?" said Lupa without being excited, but with a hint of interest.

"Yes, do you know who Charon was?" Lincoln asked, to which his daughter again shook her head.

"Well, in Greek mythology, Charon was the boatman for the underworld, who helped souls to cross the River Styx .He helped them so they could undertake the journey to the land of the dead, and the dead paid him with a silver coin to get on" Lincoln said. "That's what we do here, we help families with their loved ones who have left. Remember this Lupa, our work is very important, we must always be ready, just like Charon always was, we don't need to be perfect, we just need to be the best" Lincoln finished.

"It's hard to understand but I think I get it"said Lupa.

"That's my girl" Lincoln said stroking her cheeks. She just leaned her head more against his hand, as a cat would. "Now I have to leave, honey, it's time to work, but remember to talk to Mom about the details for your party" Lincoln said, then he left for the hearses where Maggie was waiting for him.

Already inside the vehicle, Lincoln couldn't help but remember that time when he proposed the name to Lucy and Haiku. He didn't want to butt in, but he had no choice! Names like "The Last Sigh", "The Dead Man Who Speaks", "The Black Night", and more were shuffled between his wife and her friend. Who would want to go there? He sure wouldn't. Luckily his wife seemed fascinated by the name and its "artistic acuity".

Now that he thought about it, although he considered Lucy the true soul of the business, he couldn't deny that several things had been his ideas. Leaving aside the name, the interior was a delicate white color, his idea, while Lucy had wanted everything to be black. The funeral home had a chapel and not a spiritualist house?, also his idea .Even the logo had a small modification thanks to him. The Goth had wanted it to be a drawing of a gloomy ship commanded by a half-rotten corpse, which descended into darkness. But now, it was a clean gold barge adorned with flowers that was heading towards a bright light.

Lucy was moody for a while, of course, but the efforts were worth it. Now that he thought about it, Lucy was still the most important part, because she was the one in charge of preparing the bodies...and he couldn't fight a chill running down his spine. Lincoln wondered if Lupa would one day want to follow in her parents' footsteps. Their business, sadly, was never going to run out of work, so she had a guaranteed job if she wanted to follow the family tradition. For the time being, little Lupa was oblivious to all that except that she used to draw designs for funeral wreaths, and she had a lot of talent for it.

Once they arrived, Lincoln prepared himself to talk with the man in charge, who looked dejected but firm. He told the albino that he would leave everything in his hands since he trusted his integrity, to which Lincoln swore by his family that he would not touch a penny more than agreed.

A young woman was the one who had left this time, a real shame.

Upon returning, Lucy was already dressed in her embalming dress, waiting for Haiku to help her. Normally Haiku would have done it but the woman was exhausted. This was the part that Lincoln was sure he would never get used to, but he had to admit that seeing his wife descend like a bird of prey on the bodies with an unquestionable ability filled him with a certain fascination. However, he moved away from there to continue with the preparations.

The sucking of organs, the draining of fluids, or even the reconstruction of severely damaged bodies? Embalming and Thanatopraxy were fantastic things, but at the same time they were something he preferred not to see.

And this in turn brought to him a memory of years ago when Lucy was pregnant. Seeing a woman with a child in her belly, the same image of life, next to a corpse, was something he was sure was always going to stay with him.

The rest was the usual things; he went to play with Lupa until his wife finished. After that he called the relatives and told them they had a room ready for them. The other members had already decorated everything to give it a more welcoming atmosphere. Despite not seeing death as everyone else looked at it;, they respected the pain it caused.

Lucy took a good shower to clean herself, and, dressed in an elegant way, she got out just in time to greet the family together with her husband. Once they were in their reserved room, Lincoln closed the door and left them alone.

Apparently, that would probably be the only assignment of the day, Lincoln thought, so he went to spend a little time with his wife and daughter. Lucy drew tarot cards for fun under Lupa's watchful eye, hoping her daughter would ask her to teach her. After a few hours, the body was ready for its last transfer. Once again Lincoln got up to accompany the family, this time to the cemetery,.wWas it normal to be a multitasker like him? Hard to say, but over the years he had fallen into that role and now no one could replace him.

This last part, despite being the most melancholic, was also the most tolerable for Lincoln, after all it gave a feeling of..."closure"

With all said and done, the albino returned and prepared to rest with his beloved wife and daughter, who received him with an extra loaded coffee. Though it seemed that fate had other plans, because Maggie came backtelling them that they had another client. Lincoln just sighed heavily, repeating the process of that morning, only when he was heading towards the hearses, Maggie stopped him.

"Wait"

"What?"

"The client is…large, we'll to take 'Gluttony'" said Maggie.

Oh, right "Gluttony" was a hearse named by Lucy that was used to transport clients suffering who were excessively obese, so it was bigger and more resistant. Tut when they arrived and saw the body, even with their years of experience they were surprised by it. They had doubts that the vehicle would hold and even needed the help of the whole family to move it and get it into the car.

Lucy didn't complain, a client was a client and Haiku was already awake to help her this time. The Asian woman was more skilled than Maggie in these matters. Once everything was ready again, everyone returned to their normal lives until it was time for the transfer to the cemetery. But here there was something different, the family had requested a cremation. It didn't raise any alarm until they were in the cremation room and Lucy, who now had Lupa in her arms, said something to Lincoln that they should have noticed long before.

"Lincoln"

"Yes, Lucy?"

"The deceased is very fat"

"Yeahs, I noticed that"

"And they won't fit in any of our ovens"

"..."

"..."

"H-how, that Lucy? I thought we were prepared for everything?"

"Daddy" called Lupa, who was ignored.

"The dead always find new ways to surprise us, Linc"

"Mom" called Lupa, who was also ignored this time.

"Don't start Lucy. Ah, I guess the only way to do it is to chop him to pieces and burn the parts" Lincoln said, trying to add some humor to the situation.

"Good idea!" said Lucy, taking out, a hand saw, from who knows where.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" exclaimed Lincoln alarmed. "It was just a joke! A joke!"

"Dad" Lupa was not lucky this time either.

"Sigh, I thought you'd taken a step in the right direction"

"There's is a boy at school that I like"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! / What did you say?" both parents said at the same time, their conversation completely forgotten. While Lincoln was furious and almost fuming through his nose, Lucy had a grin from ear to ear, something extremely rare to see on the woman.

"Now that I have your attention, I think I have the solution

to your problem" said Lupa.

"Forget that! Who's the boy?!" said Lincoln, who was now the one who was holding a saw in his hand.

"Dad, there's no one. I just said that to get your guys' attention" said Lupa, now slightly upset.

At this, father and mother sighed heavily, Lincoln with relief and Lucy with a noticeable disappointment in her voice.

"You don't know how happy that makes me" Lincoln said. "But what solution were you talking about?"

"About the guy you have to burn and how he doesn't fit in the ovens" said Lupa. "I have an idea"

Both parents looked at her with interest

...

The corpse was moved to the graveyard. It was in the middle of the large outdoor garden, on a strong desk which was concealed with dry stumps surrounding it and many flowers. The dead man was wrapped in some luxurious, scented silks.

That's right, while Lincoln and Lucy distracted the family, Lupa had ordered all the rest of the employees to prepare the impromptu funeral pyre. In the end, Lincoln's charisma convinced them to give the deceased a more "artistic" "symbolic" burning. And the family was pleased by it, the deceased's son even lit the fire.

"To tell you the truth,you surprised me Lupa, where did you come up with this?" Lincoln asked.

"Surely it was thanks to my teachings about the next life" Lucy said.

"No, it was all the video games that we played togethe" answered Lincoln.

"Actually, I saw it on TV" clarified Lupa.

"...Wow" both parents answered at the same time.

Once everything was finished, a finely decorated urn was prepared for the family and they were slowly left to fortheir houses.

Already exhausted, and ready to go to sleep, the Louds talked to Haiku and made sure to give her all the necessary details to takeover, no more work for today

The remaining hours were spent much like a normal family. They watched a movie together, commenteds on how everyone's day was, had dinner together, and finally, when it was time to sleep, both parents tucked Lupa into bed. She was growing fast and soon they wouldn't be able to do it anymore, so it was better to make fond memories now.

After a laborious, but satisfying, day, Lincoln and Lucy went to bed.

"Today was busier than usual" Lincoln said.

"Certainly"

"Sorry, I couldn't make a romantic dinner for the two of us or anything like that"

"Don't worry, I like having all three of us together"

"But maybe, I can reward you right now" Lincoln said in a whisper, near her ear, making the woman tremble from head to toe.

"I would love to" she moaned "but aren't you tired?"

"With you I would never get tired" Lincoln said, now with both hands resting on the sides of Lucy's head.

"All right" she replied "but turn off the lights, let the darkness envelop us"

With a soft chuckle, Lincoln extended his hand to the nightstand.

"I love you Lucy"

And turned off the lights.

The End

…..

**And this marks the end of this Little one-shot. If you want to give any criticism, please shot at will, show me my flaws so I can improve to bring you guys more and better stories.**

**And while we are at it, this was a request from the artis and writer Blubber Boy, I hope you enjoyed it man, and thanks for that favor. If you guys don't know him, check out his fanfic "Humility" in this plataform, is quite neat.**

**Well, Cheshire off!**


End file.
